Many websites, network services (e.g., web services), network applications (e.g., web applications) use a transactional paradigm known as representational state transfer (REST). A network or system architecture that uses the REST paradigm may be referred to as a REST architecture. Operations and/or transactions that use the REST paradigm may be referred to as REST operations and/or REST transactions.
The REST paradigm may include conditions that computing devices, such as servers and clients, follow when performing operations and/or transactions. One condition may be that the client state may not be stored on the server in between operations. For example, if the server uses the client state to perform a REST operation, the server may delete the client state and/or may transmit the client state back to the client device as part of returning the result of the REST operation. Another condition may be that the client initiates the REST operations. For example, a server may not perform a REST operation unless a request to perform the REST operation is received from a client device. A further condition may be that the request from the client device (to perform the REST operation) includes the information that may be used to perform the REST operation. For example, the request may identify the REST operation and may also indicate how the result of the REST operation should be represented.